Helanshan montane conifer forests

A montane "island in the sky," the Helan Mountains separate the semi-arid Ordos Plateau and the Yellow River Valley from the desert regions of the Alxa Plateau to the west. Like mountain ranges in the Great Basin of western North America, the Helan Range isolates conifer forests and may support endemic communities of plants and animals. Although the region has not been well-studied, blue sheep, and blue-eared pheasant and the endemic Helanshan pika are known to be residents here. Commercial logging is responsible for destruction of habitat, and continues to be a major threat to this biologically diverse ecoregion.

Scientific Code

(PA0508)

Ecoregion Category

Palearctic

Size

9,500 square miles

Status

Relatively Stable/Intact

Habitats

Description Location and General DescriptionThe Helan Mountain Range, about 180 km long with a maximum elevation of 3,556 m, extends north as a fingerlike extension of the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau. These mountains lie to the west of the Huang He (Yellow River) where the river flows north across the Yinchuan Plain and separates the semi-arid Ordos and Alashan Plateaus. Evidence suggests that the Helan Mountains were glaciated during the late Pleistocene at elevations above 3,000 m.

Biodiversity FeaturesDuring an expedition in spring 1996, more than 800 blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) were observed in herds of up to 30 individuals. Other rare mammals that have been reported from these mountains include argali (Ovis ammon) and moose (Alces alces). If confirmed, this population of moose may be the most southerly moose populations in all of Eurasia. The Helanshan pika (Ochotona argentata) is a critically endangered, endemic species that has been placed on the IUCN Red List for lagomorphs (1996).

The Helan Shan Nature Reserve (1,570 km2) protects the Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia) and blue-eared pheasant (Crossoptilon auritum), a species restricted to the mountains and deserts at the eastern margins of the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, and black stork (Ciconia nigra). The reserve also includes large areas of Picea asperata forest (though much has been logged) and rare plants such as the legume, Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, and the lilac, Syringa pinnatifolia.

Current StatusForests have been logged extensively, especially the spruce forests.

Types and Severity of ThreatsHunting pressure was reported to be the major threat to the survival of the blue sheep in the Helan Mountains.

Justification of Ecoregion DelineationLocated between the Yinchuan Plain and the Alashan Plateau, the forests of the Helanshan separate temperate steppe from desert regions. The boundary was derived from the spruce class (2b) according to the CVMCC (1979) Vegetation Map of China.